Three hundred thousand people. Two hundred performers. Three hundred and twenty five dollars. Four days. Is it worth it?
Lollapalooza is known as THE Midwest music festival of the summer. Every year, Chicago hosts thousands of people in Grant Park for three days of pure madness, and this year is especially maddening because it’s Lolla’s 25th anniversary with a four-day lineup.
From crowd surfing to mosh pits, Lolla includes all the youth-filled craziness you could ever imagine. Headliners scheduled to perform this July include J. Cole, Lana Del Rey and G-Eazy on Thursday, Radiohead and Future on Friday, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Disclosure on Saturday, and last but not least, LCD Soundsystem and Ellie Goulding on Sunday.
Lots of people argue Lollapalooza ticket prices should be lowered because the performers aren’t playing full sets. This is a valid point, but one does have the possibility of seeing multiple performances in succession for possibly the same price of just one concert with a good seat.
When you buy a Lolla ticket, whether it’s a one-day pass, a General Admission pass or the VIP pass, you’re getting your money’s worth in ways you couldn’t even imagine.
Do you love meeting new people? Well, good, because the line for the porta-potties will be so long you could meet your future spouse while waiting to use a communal plastic bowl. Also, you’ll be real comfy squished between the sweaty shirtless guy with the beer belly and the girl jumping around, determined to rave like she’s never raved before.
Don’t know what to wear to your first music festival? No need, festival attire for girls revolves around high-waisted shorts, crop tops, flower crowns, white high top shoes and fanny packs, while guys can get away with a simple jersey and bucket hat.
Not only will the sweet aroma of baby back ribs and “white-girl-wasted” throw up fill the air, but you’ll be lucky if anything you wear is even remotely wearable after you sweat through it, get beverages spilled on it and are caked in the inevitable mud.
Can’t wait to see you favorite rapper? Hundreds of thousand of other people feel the same way. Your Lollapalooza experience will be perfected when you have the perfect view and then some guy in front of you props his girlfriend on top of his shoulders. You didn’t want to see that rapper anyways … The music speaks for itself, right? WRONG.
In all seriousness, Lollapalooza is quite the experience. It’s something I believe everyone should try at least once, because whether the experience is good or bad, you’ll have some great stories to laugh (or cry) about the next day.
Lolla is definitely not for everyone, but with the right crew, you can enjoy some good music in the beautiful city that is Chicago.
